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I think you mean convinced? Also, you aren't obligated to take care of her animals for me. When my mother impulsively bought a dog and didn't end up wanting a dog at all, I didn't start taking care of it for her. I didn't want it, either. Eventually my mom did the right thing and returned it to the shelter.

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You never get an animal to "teach" you responsibility. It's like people who get an active dog like a husky because it will "help" them get into shape. Guess what -- the person keeps on being lazy and the dog is miserable, in most cases.

If she isn't responsible enough ALREADY, then it probably won't magically happen. In general I'm not fond of giving kids animals lie that either, especailly since it usually is till the paren'ts financial burden and ultimately their responsibility at all.

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So... this summer I'll be celebrating my first birthday after moving out. I plan to get a snake at that time, both as a gift over a decade in coming and as an 'in your face' to my snake-hater dad. For the longest time I wanted a Cornsnake, but events have made me take a look at myself and re-think...

Cornsnakes are great, but they're Colubrids... Colubrids are wiggly and energetic, and personally I don't think I could handle a snake well if it kept moving a whole lot. I'm low-key, and I think I'd do better with a snake that is that way also...

In enter boas and pythons. Granted, most of the popular ones get a good bit larger than a corn, but the ones I've run across are comparatively sluggish and just as friendly. Of all of them, I've narrowed down my choices to two - possibly three.

The first is the Dumerils Boa. It's pretty much the 'perfect big snake': docile, slow moving, beautiful, and they get to be pretty good size(4-6ft on average, 8ft tops). If I could get one on a diet of f/t rodents I'd be happy to no end. Unfortunately they're very shy, and if stressed can be prone to not eating. While this doesn't rule them out, it opens the door to other possibilities.

The second option is the Carpet Python. I've never had the pleasure of handling one of these, but I've seen videos and 'talked' to owners through the internet. They're more active than a Dumerils and like any snake can be nippy as babies but can be socialized with regular handling. While most don't get to be longer than 6.5ft, they can get over 12ft on rare occasions.

Then there's the last option, the Red-tailed Boa. I wasn't considering this as an option until recently, when I had the chance to handle a very sweet male of the species. While he's already been sold, I still get the chance to handle him frequently as his new owner pays for him slowly but surely. When he finally goes to his new home, I know I will grieve. And so these snakes too are added as a possibility, even though large males can reach 9ft or a little more and females can reach a whopping 14ft.

So yeah... I have trouble deciding. The local pet-store has offered to order both a Dumerils and a Carpet for me to pick from. I just have to ask when I'm ready, which will likely be two or so weeks prior to my birthday. If I ask soon enough I can probably convince them to get a Red-tail instead of one of the other two. Honestly if I had the means I'd get all 3. But I can't, so I'm politely asking for everyone's opinion.

Should I change course and get a Carpet? If a Carpet, which kind?

Follow my original dream with a Dumerils?

Or should I take a chance with a Red-tail?

To clarify my situation, I'm currently living in NW Florida. I don't live alone, and while this is my first 'official' snake I've kept a few wild-caught ones before while living in Louisiana(never more than a week or so though because I didn't want to get caught). I'm fairly knowledgeable about snakes, and if the wild ones count I'm also fairly experienced. I don't mind taking a few good defensive hits while it's a baby; that's usually what baby snakes do, and I'd rather take it from a baby of any kind than the adult. Size a somewhat of an issue, but right now I'm more worried about tank I will need to set up. A few people suggested a 10 to start with, and I have a 55-tall to move it to when it gets bigger.

Also, for anyone who wants to suggest a Ball Python... I have nothing against those, but it's not what I want. Nearly every Ball I've handled has been a very impersonal experience, and I just find it hard to form any sort of connection even if I handle the same snake repeatedly and for a long time.

Anyway, please vote and leave a comment. The top two will be my two final options that I'll ask for them to order for me to pick from. If it turns out to be a landslide though, I'll just order the one and save them the trouble.

Thanks!

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A single breeding pair and their babies could easily reach numbers into the hundreds in a very short amount of time. Siberian hamsters are sexually mature at 60 days and take a little less than a month to give birth to a litter of between 1-20 babies. In a year's time, a single female can give birth to 200 babies if bred constantly. If half of her babies were female and also bred, you can see how numbers can skyrocket quite quickly :3 Hopefully a hamstery isn't going to have as sketchy of business practices considering breeding a female so much is bound to shorten her lifespan, but it's certainly possible that in a year or so you can reach numbers into the thousands.

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I will repeat the advice I gave you on CS (Ostwyn) and say that you should start with a more beginner species than any of those three, considering from your posts over there you've only had experience with tamed adults and limited experience with wild caught creatures.

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I've owned Ball Pythons...and they are awesome snakes. They are docile and while they can be picky eaters - as long as they are not wild caught, you shouldn't have any trouble. They don't get very large (5-6 ft for females), they aren't nippy, even as babies and they are beautiful snakes. They also live for a very long time - my female is now 16 years old, I've had her since she was a hatchling. I believe one of the oldest captive snakes on record is a Ball - at 33 years.

Of course, every animal is different - but overall the Ball Python pretty much fits the description I've stated above. I never, ever had problems with mine. Even when I had to give her meds a few years back, she never tried to bite me. Very mellow, slow moving and sweet.

lol...didn't see the bottom of your post. Guess the Ball is out. Well, personally I've had wonderful luck with them. My old girl greets me when I come home - soooo....yeah.

Edited March 12, 2012 by dark_kitsune

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I agree with everyone else when I say DON'T get a big snake as a starter pet. Even docile ones can be unpredictable, and when they're full size they can do a lot of harm with little effort. I was bitten on the elbow by a red-tailed boa when I was 12 because I accidentally startled it, and I still have little scars on my elbow.

If you absolutely won't consider a corn snake (which in my experience are big sweeties) then I suggest you look into getting a king snake or a milk snake. Non-venomous, small, and docile.

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Hm, those boas you listed get quite large. As a beginner owner with our ball python, he was a bit of a handful when we first got him. Even though I have some experience now, my 3.5-ft corn snake can still be out of control at times and has attacked me once after living with me for 5 years.

Have you looked into Children's pythons? I've heard they are about as easy to own as a ball python, but I've never actually handled one. Info here, here, and here.

What's good about these is they stay really small, so if you don't tame it properly, it won't be too dangerous. However, that may be a non-issue if they're as docile as I have heard they are.

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Well, I don't have any really exotic pets, but one of my friends has two red bearded dragons, six chickens and is going to get three more, one duck named peaches, and four dogs. my friend had a cat, but he died, he got run over made me very sad.